We Believe We Will Name A Seedling 
Eight or ten thousand new seedlings came to bloom in our 1954 garden; but a 
seedling selection segregated in 1951 was the choice of the year for us. It came from 
a cross, Strawberry Peach x Spic & Span, and we do recall seeing it the first time it 
bloomed, which was late in 1951. Then during the season of 1952 it was lost to sight 
entirely. Again in 1953 we found three large bulbs and a few hundred bulblets labeled 
THE SELF-SALMON. No one recalled seeing the plants in bloom. Late this year 
we found a group of about 80 iarge plants, and several hundred small plants carrying 
that same label. They blocmed out thru September, and again that salmon color 
“ruled” the. garden. We dug 475 bulbs of it in late October, and we hope by 1956 to 
have enough large bulbs to enter it in the ALL-AMERICAN tests. While it does 
resemble its’ pollen parent, yet it has a color all its’ own. One prominent Minnesota - 
grower said he had never seen a color hke it. 
We had a cream colored flower appear early in the season, but it had some red 
“splashes” in it, that seemed to fit into the color scheme just perfectly. I cut a couple 
of spikes and carried them around the city to ask florists and friends their opinion 
of it. On every hand I would hear “that is the most beautiful bloom ‘Ihave ever seen!” 
Of course I agreed quite heartily. But there were only about 15 or 20 plants blooming, 
and the bulblets were not very plentiful at digging time. However—we will sure 
carry it along. One of our 1952 selections, a blue-ish lavender from the cross “Benj. 
Britten x Eliz. the Queen” was another fine thrill. When this seedling bloomed in 
1953 Bill said to me “Dad, that is the best seedling you have ever had”. Bill is a 
good judge of beauty in flowers. We looked the plants over, all were healthy and 
there were about 125 growing. At digging time, the large. bulbs were a mass of © 
bulblets. A full quart were harvested and this one may also be headed for an ALL 
AMERICAN’ test. 
There is'a sort of “rule and guide” among the ALL AMERICAN Directors, that - 
any seedling MUST HAVE BEAUTY TO.STIR THE HEART, if it is going anywhere. © 
I found such beauty in two or three of my own seedlings last season. Whether I can 
combine that beauty with other qualities in sufficient amount to get it “over the 
long pull” remains to be seen. If they become “stubby”, fail-in health, cease to - 
propagate, or other faults appear, into the ash-can they go. What fun it is to keep 
on trying! Whether we ever make the grade with an ALL AMERICAN or not, is 
not at all important. If we find joy and fun in staying on the trail, THAT IS 
IMPORTANT. We have something over twenty thousand new bulbs that grew from 
seed this season which we can plant in the Spring, BE THE GOOD LORD WILLIN’, 
and we have reasons to believe that we will have a grand time with:them before 
they are all consigned to said ash-can. 
We made about 300 seed-crosses again, in 1954, and have an abundant seed crop 
to plant next Spring. However we are going to cut down this year. We are anxious 
to make 25 crosses in 1955, but not many more, and try to grow 500 small bulbs from 
each cross. That should be plenty. We planted 425 “seedlings on test” last May, an 
accumulation of seedlings from other years, but 332 of them went into discard before 
October first. Only 102 selections were made in 1954. Any suggestions for an 
exciting cross you would like to have me make in 1955? Best of luck to you with 
your seedling growing. 
We planted about 5000 young bulbs of Bill’s seedling, No. 4 and No. 5 bulbs, © 
from No. 744-1, but 80% of them came out diseased at digging time, so that popular 
number has gone “the way of all flesh”, and will no longer grace our garden with 
a ey flowers.’ We are sorry, too, for many growers and judges liked the glad 
ery much. “3 
All American Gladiolus Selections 
There are thirty Directors of the above named group who are growing a large 
group of seedlings each season, searching for a new variety that they believe will 
qualify as ALL-AMERICAN quality. One was elected at the annual meeting in 
Baltimore in 1954, but will not be offered to the public until 1956, or later. The next 
ee meeting of the Directors is to be held in East Lansing, Michigan, in January 
